WOW! Summer is officially here!

117 degrees in Wichita Falls and heat index of 105 in DFW. How is your home performing so far? Is your air conditioner keeping up; can you keep your home as cool as you'd like? Does your AC ever shut off; worried about what your electric bill is going to look like?

Well worry no more; read on to learn about how to fortify you home's "Heat Defense System" (HDS).

The major components of a HDS are: Insulation, Weatherization, HVAC Equipment, and Windows.

Insulation

Let’s start with the most important component of your HDS; that is your Thermal Barrier. The thermal barrier is the point in your home where you establish inside from outside or simply where you put your homes insulation.

Most homes in the DFW area are insulated at the ceiling or more accurately said at the attic floor. The Department of Energy recommends installing a R49 (or around 17" of fiberglass insulation) in this situation. That's a lot of insulation; why so much? The reason is that attics in the DFW area can reach temperatures of over 150 degrees for much of the year and a R49 is the amount of insulation need to stop intense heat. There are a couple of things that can help to alleviate the attic heat and lessen the "R Value" need to insulate your home.

One is a Radiant Barrier; this can be both sprayed on or rolled out aluminum attached to the rafters.

The second is mechanical ventilation; these can be either solar or straight electrical.

With a radiant barrier and mechanical ventilation one could get away with as little as a R30 in the attic.

There is another option, and the one I like the best, that is moving the "Thermal Barrier" from the attic floor to the attic ceiling or the underside of the roof by spraying Foam Insulation (fiberglass can also be blown in behind netting between the rafters). What are the benefits of foaming your attic?

1.      Stopping the heat at the roof eliminates the heat and humidity from building or compounding in the attic. If properly done a foamed attic will stay cooler than the outside temp.

2.      Most homes in DFW have the HVAC system stored in the attic. The cooler you can keep your Air conditioner the more efficiently the system will run. A study done by Texas A&M shows that just the HVAC efficiency gained from foaming your attic could save hundreds of dollars per year.

3.      While ceiling insulation does stop the heat from getting through to your house... it accomplishes this by "trapping" the heat acting as thermal (heat) storage battery. It takes hours after the attic has cooled for the "ceiling" insulation to dissipate it's stored heat, meaning you have to run your ac longer in the evening. the greater the R-value the longer it takes to dissipate the stored heat.

4.      In many cases by foaming your attic you make that space a great storage area that you can actually tolerate.

5.      Indoor air quality; sealing the attic stops allergens and dirt and dust from being drawn into your home.

 

Weatherization

Weatherization basically involves sealing up the “envelope” of the home. Those measures include: caulking around windows, sealing penetrations under sinks and in mechanical closets, weather stripping doors, and sealing around electrical penetrations in walls and ceilings. All of these things may seem small by themselves but when you add all of these things up they can add up to be a really big hole leaking your conditioned air to the outside.

 

HVAC

Your heater and air conditioner account for the majority of your homes energy use. HVAC manufactures have made great strides in the efficiency of their equipment. AC’s are rated by their Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating. If you have a twenty year old system you might have as low as a 8 seer system; you could get up to a 21 seer replacement system, that’s a 62% increase in efficiency.  And really if you are not ready to upgrade just getting a bi-annual tune-up can make a big difference in cooling cost.  

 

Windows

Replacement windows can make a huge difference in the comfort of your home. New Windows can also help save money especially if you have a lot of south and west facing windows.  The Low Emissivity windows also help protect your belongings as they block the ultra violet ray that fade and break down materials.

 

Contacting a professional to perform a good comprehensive Energy Audit is  the best place to start to tell you which of these measure are best for your home.  

 

 

 

Chris Runyon

President

 

A Cooler House

2526 National Dr

Garland, TX 75041

 

972-840-1500 p

214-778-2497 f